A Lesson About Life

An elderly Cherokee man was teaching his grandchildren about life.
He said to them, "A fight is going on inside of me; it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.  One wolf is fear, anger, envy sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.  The other is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.  This same fight is going on inside of you and inside every other person too."  

The grandchildren thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"  

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

October: the Month of Miscarriage, Stillborn, and Infant Death

October 15th a day of remembrance for pregnancy loss and infant death, which includes, however is not limited to, miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, and the death of a newborn.

Tonight, October 16th our Catholic Church celebrated our little saints in heaven, including our boys, "Darren" & "Baby Brooksie".  Darren left our home, but not our hearts, 11/18/2016.  The following month we lost a baby to miscarriage.  Even though we took nearly 2 years to name him, we officially named him this month: "Gerard". Gerard is the patron saint of unborn babies & expectant mothers.  

Every year our church celebrates this day.  I've never allowed myself to go, so this was our first as a family.  Last night at mass each family lit a candle and brought it forward for their babies.  It was a beautiful way to celebrate and grieve together.  

Father Chuck (father of 7 children himself) made these points in his homily: God's mercy is beyond our understanding.  Jesus tells us, "trust me."  Our Lord's ultimate goal is to bring us all home, some just make it home sooner than others.  

Helen Keller said, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."

Until we meet again...